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SummerSlam 2015
SummerSlam 2015 was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by WWE. It took place on August 23, 2015, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. It was the twenty-eighth event under the SummerSlam chronology, and the first since 2008 to be held outside of Los Angeles as Staples Center was the exclusive home for SummerSlam from 2009 to 2014. This is to be the 8th SummerSlam to be held in New York metropolitan area after the 1988, 1989, 1991, 1997, 1998, 2002, and 2007 editions. The Izod Center was originally supposed to host SummerSlam, but due to its closure in April 2015, the event was moved to the Barclays Center. This was a 4-hour event. The official theme song featured for the event is "Big Summer" by CFO$. Ten matches were contested at the event, with no pre-show. The main event was Brock Lesnar facing The Undertaker in which Undertaker won by submission when Lesnar passed out of Hell's Gate. Background SummerSlam featured professional wrestling matches that involve different wrestlers from pre-existing feuds, plots, and storylines that played out on WWE's primary television programs. Wrestlers portrayed villains or heroes as they follow a series of events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches. At WrestleMania XXX in 2014, Brock Lesnar defeated The Undertaker to break his undefeated WrestleMania streak. Four months later, Lesnar defeated John Cena at SummerSlam to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, but lost it the following year at WrestleMania 31 in his match against Roman Reigns when Seth Rollins cashed in his Money in the Bank contract and won the title.Lesnar received his rematch against Rollins at Battleground, and was closing in on the win when The Undertaker returned and attacked Lesnar, causing the match to end in an inconclusive finish due to Rollins and the referee disappearing from the ring. This was initially reported as a "no contest", but the following night on the July 20 episode of Raw, Lilian Garcia announced Lesnar as the winner by disqualification. Also on the same night, it was announced that Undertaker would face Lesnar in the main event of SummerSlam. This will be Undertaker's first SummerSlam match since 2008, and his first pay-per-view match outside of WrestleMania since Bragging Rights in 2010. At Elimination Chamber, Ryback captured the vacant Intercontinental Championship in an Elimination Chamber match. On the June 1 episode of Raw, before Ryback was scheduled to defend the title against The Miz, Big Show attacked Miz and confronted Ryback. At Money in the Bank, Big Show defeated Ryback by disqualification after The Miz attacked Big Show; therefore, Ryback still would retained the title. On the June 15 episode of Raw, Miz defeated Big Show by countout as Big Show was distracted confronting Ryback. On June 22, it was announced on WWE.com; Ryback would defend the title against Big Show and Miz in a Triple Threat match at the event. However, it was announced on WWE.com on July 15, Ryback has sustained an injury two days prior during his match on Raw and would not be able to defend the Intercontinental Championship at Battleground and the match was officially postponed. On August 6, it was announced on WWE.com that the match had been rescheduled for SummerSlam. On the May 21 episode of SmackDown, Bray Wyatt was defeated by Dean Ambrose, after Roman Reigns interfered in the match on Ambrose's behalf by executing a Superman punch on Wyatt. On the June 1 episode of Raw, Reigns defeated Wyatt to retain his spot in the Money in the Bank ladder match. At Money in the Bank, during the Money in the Bank ladder match, Wyatt knocked Reigns off the ladder right before Reigns could grab the briefcase. At Battleground, Bray Wyatt defeated Roman Reigns after Luke Harper interfered and attacked Reigns, reuniting The Wyatt Family in the process. On the July 20 episode of Raw, Dean Ambrose managed Reigns as he defeated Harper by disqualification. On the August 6 edition of SmackDown, Reigns challenged Wyatt to a tag team match at SummerSlam, with Reigns and Ambrose facing Wyatt and Harper, which Wyatt accepted. On the June 18 episode of SmackDown, Alicia Fox allied with The Bella Twins (Brie Bella and Divas Champion Nikki Bella) by helping Brie win her match against Paige, later naming their stable "Team Bella". On the July 13 episode of Raw, Charlotte, Becky Lynch and NXT Women's Champion Sasha Banks made their WWE debuts; Charlotte and Lynch allied with Paige, later naming their team "PCB", while Banks allied with Naomi and Tamina, naming their stable "Team B.A.D.". At Battleground, Charlotte defeated Brie and Banks in a Triple Threat match. On August 10, it was announced that Team Bella, PCB and Team B.A.D would compete against each other in a three-team elimination match at SummerSlam. At Battleground, The Prime Time Players defeated The New Day to retain the WWE Tag Team Championship. On the July 20 episode of Raw, Los Matadores defeated The Prime Time Players, after a distraction by The New Day. On the July 27 episode of Raw, The Lucha Dragons defeated Los Matadores. On the July 30 episode of SmackDown, The Lucha Dragons and Los Matadores defeated The New Day and The Ascension. On the August 3 episode of Raw, The New Day and The Ascension defeated The Lucha Dragons and Los Matadores in a rematch. On the August 6 episode of SmackDown, The Prime Time Players teamed up with Mark Henry to defeat The New Day. On the August 10th episode of Raw, The New Day defeated Los Matadores. It was then announced on WWE.com that The Prime Time Players would defend the titles against The New Day, The Lucha Dragons and Los Matadores in a Fatal 4-Way tag team match at SummerSlam. On the May 25 episode of Raw, Stardust confronted special guest Stephen Amell (actor of Arrow fame), while losing to Neville. On the July 13 episode of Raw, Stardust defeated Neville. On the August 10 episode of Raw, where Amell was again a special guest, Neville defeated King Barrett, but was then attacked by Stardust. Stardust then assaulted Amell, who entered the ring and attacked Stardust in return. Amell and Neville then persuaded Triple H backstage to make a tag team match at SummerSlam, with Amell and Neville facing Stardust and Barrett. On the July 20 episode of Raw, United States Champion John Cena challenged WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins to a WWE World Heavyweight Championship match, but Rollins refused. On the July 27 episode of Raw, Cena again challenged Rollins, but The Authority instead forced him to defend the United States Championship against Rollins. Cena defeated Rollins, but sustained a broken nose during the match. On the August 3 episode of Raw, Rollins challenged Cena to a "Winner Takes All" match at SummerSlam, for both the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and the United States Championship. On the August 11 episode of Tough Enough, Cena accepted Rollins' challenge. On the June 18 episode of SmackDown, Kevin Owens defeated Cesaro. On the [[June 29, 2015 Monday Night RAW results|June 29 episode of Raw]], Cesaro defeated United States Champion John Cena, but won by disqualification after being attacked by Owens, therefore not winning the title. On the July 20 episode of Raw, Cesaro teamed up with Cena and Randy Orton to defeat Owens, Rusev and Sheamus. On the [[July 23, 2015 Smackdown results|July 23 episode of SmackDown]], Owens attacked Cesaro after his match against Seth Rollins. On the [[July 27, 2015 Monday Night RAW results|July 27 episode of Raw]], Cesaro attacked Owens after his match against Orton. On the July 30 episode of SmackDown, after Owens attacked Cesaro during his rematch against Rollins, Cesaro and Dean Ambrose defeated Owens and Rollins in a tag team match. On the [[August 13, 2015 Smackdown results|August 13 episode of SmackDown]], it was announced that Cesaro would face Owens at SummerSlam. On the [[August 17, 2015 Monday Night RAW results|August 17th episode of Raw]], it was announced that Jon Stewart would be the Special Guest Host for the event. Match Preview Results ; ; *Sheamus defeated Randy Orton (11:15) *The New Day (Big E & Kofi Kingston) (w/ Xavier Woods) defeated Prime Time Players (Darren Young & Titus O'Neil) © Lucha Dragons (Kalisto & Sin Cara) and Los Matadores (Diego & Fernando) (w/ El Torito) in a Fatal 4-Way Tag Team Match to win the WWE Tag Team Championship (11:20) *Dolph Ziggler (w/ Lana) vs. Rusev (w/ Summer Rae) ended in a double countout (12:05) *Stephen Amell & Neville defeated Stardust & Wade Barrett (7:40) *Ryback © defeated The Big Show and The Miz in a Triple Threat Match to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship (5:40) *Roman Reigns & Dean Ambrose defeated Bray Wyatt & Luke Harper (11:10) *Seth Rollins WWE © defeated John Cena States © in a United States Championship vs. WWE World Heavyweight Championship match to win the WWE United States Championship (19:25) *PCB (Paige, Charlotte and Becky Lynch) defeated Team Bella (The Bella Twins and Alicia Fox) and Team B.A.D. (Tamina, Sasha Banks and Naomi) in a Three-Team Elimination Match (15:20) *Kevin Owens defeated Cesaro (14:20) *The Undertaker defeated Brock Lesnar (w/ Paul Heyman) by submission (17:20) Three Team Elimination match Other on-screen talent See also *List of WWE pay-per-view events *World Wrestling Entertainment/Event history *Event gallery *SummerSlam DVD release * SummerSlam 2015 on DVD External links * SummerSlam 2015 Official website * SummerSlam 2015 on WWE Network * SummerSlam 2015 kickoff show on WWE Network * SummerSlam 2015 at CAGEMATCH.net * SummerSlam 2015 at Online World of Wrestling Category:World Wrestling Entertainment pay-per-view events Category:2015 pay-per-view events Category:SummerSlam